Ice removing covering for aircraft



April 5 1948- R. G. CAMPBELL 2,439,037

ICE REMOVIING CVERING FOR AIRCRAFT Filed March 17, 1944 @unf/22% afair flou/My rozzy ope/)my g Jv-'15 f atentec Apr. 6, 1948 Ici: REMovlNcf covERING Fon AIRCRAFT Robert G. Campbell, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, as-

signer to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 17, 1944, Serial No. 526,867 2 Claims. (Cl. 244-134) This invention relates to protective coverings and is especially useful in its application to inflatable protective coverings for preventing accumulation of ice on the leading edge of wings and other airfoils and surfaces.

An airfoil, for example, a wing of an aircraft in iiight, may be functioning under cruising, diving, climbing and stalling conditions respectively, with accompanying variation in the aerodynamic forces at the leading edge of the airfoil and especially in the area of negative pressure produced by the airfoil. When the wing is pro vided with an inflatable protective covering of exible material, such, for example, as resilient rubber-like material, this variation in aerodynamic forces tends at times to cause portions of the covering to lift away or to bulge objectionably from the wing surface in areas in which it is not secured directly to such surface.

By the present invention provision is made for removing the air from beneath the covering by improved action whereby the flow is predominantly one-way rather than two-way, thus increasing the ability of the wing cover to maintain itself upon the wing surface and eliminating or reducing the possibility of its lifting or bulging objectionably away from the wing.

An object of the present invention is to provide relatively free passage of air outwardly from the covering and to provide only limited passage of air or total restriction thereof inwardly of the covering.

Other objects are to provide relief for entrapped air during all conditions of ight and at different angles of attack, and to provide for operational eifectiveness and high quality of the product.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings,

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an airplane, a wing thereof being shown in section with a. protective covering constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention in place thereon, portions of the covering being broken away in steps and a portion being turned backto show the construction.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the covering taken in section on line 2-2' of Fig. l and shown to a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a graph illustrating the action of the slitted opening of the invention in passing air as compared to the action of round holes as used heretofore.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, an inatable protective covering or shoe I0 of elastic construction is mounted upon an airfoil l2, such, for example, as an aircraft wing, the covering being preferably in a stretched condition chordwise of the wing and secured to the wing skin or its underlying supporting structure along upper and lower attaching margins I3 and I4 extending spanwise of the wing. Metal fairing strips I5 may be provided at the attaching margins of the covering ID to clamp the margins against movement and to provide a smooth transition of surface from the covering IB to the skin of the wing, and may be secured in place by screws IB.

The protective covering I0 includes an inner layer I1 of elastic rubber-like material. This layer is formed of portions spaced apart spanwise of each other to define air-conducting grooves I8 extending chordwise of the wing from the margins of the protective covering to the ination tubes, that portion of the layer I1 beneath the inflation tubes being continuous. The layer I'I is formed on its inner surface with span-- wise extending ribs 2D between which are grooves;

2l communicating with the grooves I8.

Ination tubes 22, 23, 24 are mounted uponthe layer Il and extend spanwise along the lead-l ing edge-of the wing. They are adapted. to be inflated to distort the covering for removal of ice accretion and are connected to a pressure uid source (not shown) by tubular connections 25, 26, 21, respectively.

The covering I0 also includes an outer layer 30 of elastic rubber-like material which extends continuouslyfrom one margin of the covering to the other chordwise thereof over the inflation tubes 22, 23, 24, and also spanwise from end to end of the, covering. The layer 3!) mayalso include at the slits, hereinafter described, a reinforcing layer of woven fabric which may comprise a layer of the reinforcing tape hereinafter mentioned.

Between the layers I1 and 30, strips of lengthlwise extensible rubber-impregnated reinforcing through the covering while restricting flow inwardly therethrough, the layer 30 is formed with chordwise slits 40 positioned so as to overlie the tapes 3l and located at spaced-apart positions between the inatable tubes and the margins I3, 5 is of the covering. The tapes 3| are formed with perforations llia at least through. inner". fabric:v layers hereof.funderlyingmthe slits in ,communicate l tion therewith and overlying and communicating with the grooves I3. An area of the outer layer:l

surrounding each perforationl .anditsncorf responding slit il is unadheredto'th'e tapes While other portions of the tapesareeadheredtotherubber-like material of thelayers.:lhiandzr,

This may be accomplished in the construetioni 15;

of the covering by applying apatch of non-fade hering material such as Hollandcloth over each tape perforation to separate the rubber-like mae terial from the cemented tapes during vulcanization; then slitting` thelayer SUiaLfter vulcanizae tion, then removing gthe--non-adheringepatch through Vthe slit The arrangement .isfzsuch -that the .tensioning of the covering; chordwise closes the siitsunder compression -ot-'theflipsof the slits against eac-h othervand asrthe perforationAgLin the tape isl of relatively` small-diameter. as compared to the lengthof the slitzthet-lipsearef sup.- ported. by the: tape l surrounding :the aperturerexe cept f or the portions thereofibridgngfthefperfo.- ration, thereby substantiallypreventinggfiow of airl from Without the.` covering. inwardly; While the lips of thefslitmayg flex? outwardly,- astin-- dicated in dot-ande'dashlinestinEigi 2to..ofier only relatively Vlow resistance. tooutwardfflowacf air from beneath the.- coveringi, Also. the Wing surf ace serves as abackinglr in the one-Way;l actuar-1.v

The tapes 3l: resistz tearing of the .rubber mate:

rial due to their; strongresistanceto. tearing, and their vulcanization tothe: layer 30.beyond the valve area: underlying?` theslits:l

Referring to Fig. 3 which showsl the :differential o?" pressures atl opposite.A faces` or the covering plotted against the.v opiantityi of. air: owing through a round, vent-.openingv asf compared to thatlowing through a siitted-vent=in accordance withA the inver-ition,V the;v curi/eA; shows the, flow tlnough the round openingf from! without. the covering to within` and` theklv curve.Y B represents the flow throughzsuchtopening. fromiwithin the coveringA to Without. TheA curvev Cfshows 110W outwardly through a slittedfopcning., and it will be seerr that fiow in-y this ,directionii'sonly slightly restricted'by the valve` slit. The-curveDshoWs ovvy inwardly through the .slitted.openinga Itttwill be: seen that .at very low differential1 pressures a small quantity of .air passes.. the valve whileat higher differential.- pressuressubstantallm no, air passes.

In the operation. of4 the ice removing. coverting, the` tubes 22, 23., 2.11. areinflated.alternately to change the shape of the leading; edg@ and 60 thereby to crack and..removeaccretionof. iceat the leading edge. The inflation off the tuheslifts the. portion of: the covering. between. the inatable tubes and the margins I3, i4 of the covering froiri the airfoil, stretching the covering chordwise. It has been found that leakage of the Valve slits at low differential pressures is beneficial in facilitating rise of the covering from the surface of the airfoil at inflation periods While ready flow of air outwardlythrough the. valveislits provides for quiclelreturn of the covering to the surface of the airfoil upon deiiation of the tubes and maintenance of the covering against the airfoil between ,inations..

Whileetheinvention has been illustratedrand described, in itsfapplication toa shoe for preventingr. accumulation of ice upon the leading edgesoffarwingritrhas utility also in connection with protective .coverings for other types of airfoil's and other parts of aircraft and other structuresawhere it is desired to control now of air from one face of the covering to another for the purpose. vof `maintaining the covering in a desired position despite-the action .of dynamic..air..forces. upenthe covering.,

Variations, may be. madel Without departing from the scope of the inventiony as .itisldened by the following. claims,

I claim:

l. AproteetiveA coverii'ig4 for a surface,z said ,covl ering. comprising anY elastic. sheetbody-` adapted tube moiuitedin stretchedconditionover. said surface., .said sheetbody. including a layer. havingja .perforation,.a reinforcement, of textile` Ina.-

teriai about said. perforation, and a layer over said perforation .and said reinforcement, ,Said ylaste named layerhaving a. slit extending across. Said pel'fcrationinthe .direction .of stretlfl. aridgbeing adhered tosaid reinforcement aboutthesiitted area, said slit, being eifectiveto controlflowr 0I air through said Cowling 2..A. protective. covering for a` surfece,v said coffering.,Comprising@inelastic sheet body. adapted t0. bemounted. in stretchedicondition over said surfacasaidsheet body ncludinea .layer havingaperforationa reinforcing. tape. 0f stretti;- ablefaoric. extending over. said perforation and being, perforated to communicate therewith,A and Y a layer over sailtape, .saidlast-namedglayflhvingaslitextendng over saidperoration in the direction of. stretch. and beine adhereditosaid tweandthe underlying. laver about' 'thesltted areaLsaidfs'lit being effective to controhflow of air through said covering.

ROBERT G. CAMPBELL.

REFERENGES CITEI) Theiollowing'references-are of recordin the e ofthis-patent:

UNTED' STATES PATENTS Number Country. fte

51;;463' Great.' Britain Feb. '28,194.0 

